I recently had the chance to test out a set of Dexter Industries Thermal Sensors produced for the NXT.
For those that are not aware, Dexter Industries has entered the market of producing LEGO Mindstorms NXT-compatible sensors and has come up with some pretty cool ideas such as the dSwitch (allows you to switch in-home devices on/off using the NXT) and some cool new ideas such as solar charging for the NXT as well as a flex sensor (stay tuned for more on this).
My LEGO Robotics, DIY Hacks and other stuff
We recently picked up one of those Aquasaurs kits for the kids – which lets you hatch and care for some neat little aquatic fish (or shrimp) that date back to pre-historic times. After reading the instructions we got everything set-up and all was good, until we read the part about the temp of the water needing to remain between 72 – 80F. Problem is, we tend to keep our house around 70ish, and during the day, we have our automatic thermostat drop the temp to more frigid temps (to conserve you know!). 
We quickly realized that these things would likely not get past the larvae stage at those temps. For the first two days, we had the tank propped up on the stove under the halogen lights to keep the water warm. However, over time, they would heat the water too much and need to be monitored / turned off for periods of time. We needed to come up with a longer term solution.
One option would be to simply go out and drop $$ (insert cost here – I don’t know) on a aquarium heater – but that would be too easy. I’d rather take my $300+ extra NXT & temperature sensor and make them work for a bit. Now you ask yourself, how the heck would the NXT heat the water. Well, that’s where dSwitch from Dexter Industries comes in. Interestingly enough, the dSwitch did not come to me with the intent of using it to heat the Aquasaurs tank. It was more like irony and good timing that I just received the dSwitch and we got the Aquasaurs going.
Sometimes I build robots that attempt to solve real world challenges. 
Other times, robots are built based on random ideas. This robot is a case of solving a LEGO challenge – specifically, with their Technic tracks/treads #575518. At no fault of theirs, these plastic tracks are slippery on many surfaces. Great for carpets, flat areas, dirt (if you dare) – and great for turning as well. However, when you try to climb with them, they are as slick as ice.
If you Google them, you will find some great ideas on making these treads more ’sticky’. Some have used 1/2 Technic pins (which fit nicely into the supplied holes), others have used elastics wrapped around them – all great ideas that work fine. I attacked the challenge from a different angle. The result is DG – or Dual Grip (yes, the name is somewhat plain). DG went through numerous revisions as I worked out kinks related to weight, stability, traction, sensors, flex etc. At the bottom I have included some pictures on previous versions of DG – some changes significant, others subtle.
The idea was to have a treaded robot that could navigate varying terrain, turn quickly and of course, climb. Based on my experience with my other robots using the same tracks (eg UNV and DynaTrax), I found that they were not very good when it came to inclines. I figured that the LEGO rubber wheels have great traction on most surfaces, so why not slap a set of them along with the treads. However, this posed another challenge. I did not want both wheel systems in contact with the ground at all times as this would make turning tougher and be redundant.
I recently decided that it is about time to replace my old P4 server in the interest of speed, space and power reductions. Even with a P4, this sever is heavily underused. 
My choice was a mini-ITX form factor system running the Intel Atom N330 Dual Core processor. Although there is little improvement over CPU speed, I also migrated to an OCZ Indilinx SSD. That’s a little background for you. Now, my existing machine is my web/db server and is running Windows 2000 (yes, I realize its a 10yr old OS, but its working just fine for my purposes), SQL Server, MySQL, IIS5 and PHP.
My choice was a mini-ITX form factor system running the Intel Atom N330 Dual Core processor. Although there is little improvement over CPU speed, I also migrated to an OCZ Indilinx SSD. That’s a little background for you. Now, my existing machine is my web/db server and is running Windows 2000 (yes, I realize its a 10yr old OS, but its working just fine for my purposes), SQL Server, MySQL, IIS5 and PHP. |
A very slightly used, never competed Solarbotics Mini Sumovore Kit. |
When I bought this, I purchased the sumovore kit, the stamp stack microcontroller as well as the brainboard as I thought I needed all of them. I assembled the Sumovore, programmed and tested it and it works fine, but it has been sitting on a shelf for months not getting any use. So, it’s time for it to go. I am selling all three items below as a package. Total cost was about $180 USD with shipping, customs duty/taxes etc. Details as follows:At some point I would like to use solar energy to supplement our home power usage. 
Of course I was not going to jump into a full-out solar power array on my roof and out myself thousands of dollars without fully knowing the risks and potentials of photovoltaic solar power in my area. Instead, I decided on a proof-of-concept project – a small 10Watt 12V solar charger.
So, since I find myself constantly taking things apart because they are broken, 
needing repair and cleaning, I figured why not post about them on my blog! Surely someone out there will take on the same task at some point in time. That said, here is a DIY cleaning for the Microsoft wireless notebook laser mouse 6000.
I’ve cleaned out the closet and found a number of items that I have put up for sale. Check it out.
Welcome to my new blog. I was beginning to tire of my old site and 
found that I needed a better way to manage the content of my projects as I diversify my portfolio of LEGO robotics, electronics work, mods, instructables and other hacks.
Over the years I have had many great comments and questions primarily related to my LEGO robots. When I did my Apple MightyMouse mod to my Asus EEE 901 (which I am typing this on right now), I decided to post instructions to my site. Well, I managed to get picked up by a number of blogs around the world and received a huge response. This has driven me to document more of my hobby projects here.
My hope is to share as much information as possible about LEGO and other DIY projects that I create. I hope that you enjoy the site and please use the ratings and provide comments as I would like to know what people like and dislike.
Dave
What: Hack the innards of an Apple Mighty Mouse into an EEE 901.
Why: I found the 2-finger scrolling using the touchpad a PINTA. So, since it’s never my intent to leave well enough alone, and I was itching for something to take apart and hack, I decided to integrate a trackball into my EEE 901. The Apple Mighty Mouse was the best candidate becase the trackball acts like a wheel on the mouse – I can use it solely for scrolling rapidly through pages of content. Of course, there are out there, but its ball acts as a mouse controller (not for scrolling) and I didn’t want to pay the price. I figured the Mighty Mouse would be more of a challenge anyhow. Well, it was. Read on for details, a video, and instructions…
How Much: $22 USD (the mouse)
Update: Jan 2010 -
There have been a number of blogs and forums that have picked up this DIY, which is nice to see. There have also been a number of posts that share similar themes that either point to the Mighty Mouse being trash, or questions as to why would someone want to do this hack when the EEE already has two finger scrolling on the trackpad. To answer the quality question – the trackball has been installed since July 09. 6 months later (and counting), it’s still working as good as it did when I first installed it. No crud, skips, etc etc. To answer the ‘whatever floats your boat’ question, I guess its just that. I like to hack and DIY things – never satisfied with status-quo. As noted in this post, I dont like the 2 finger scrolling. While some consider these things an effort, others (like myself) consider them fun and challenging. I just find it funny when reading some of the responses out there as they either seem to be arrogant of the concept of DIY, or just like to get their post counts up 
. Thanks to those of you who can appreciate the hobby of DIY.
